Morelli's Argument 23 point 5 - A Decimal Number One-Shot
by Mackiecam
Summary: Okay, I have to admit it. I'm a Babe fan. But in Trigger Happy 23 (posted on this site) Stephanie and Morelli have a huge argument. And Morelli has some valid points. Here is his take on the argument, explained from his point of view. Who do you think was in the right?


_**Morelli's Argument 23.5 – A Decimal Number One-Shot**_

Life has been so hard lately.

First, I had been sleeping on the couch. Bob the dog has not been happy about having to share my space, but what can you do? With my parents' house being painted, they were camping out at my place. My mother was in my bed and my grandmother was in my guest bedroom. Last night Bob got on top of me, circled, and flopped down on my belly. When I tried to move him he growled. I ended up sleeping with a weight on my chest, a paw on my groin, dog hair in my nose and snoring in my ear. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep.

Then I had the day from hell. Stephanie spent the day with Ranger. I don't trust that guy and I hate having to rely on him to keep her safe. I know he would not do anything purposeful to hurt her, but I think he takes more chances with her than is wise. For instance, giving in to her and letting her do skip chasing. I know he is there to help and to protect her, but my experience with Steph has shown that things never go according to plan. If she can get in trouble, she will. And I was right having reservations about her going out of the Rangeman building. Brodie tried to kill her. I wish I had been there when it happened, that I had a shot at Brodie. I would have happily killed him. Anything to get her back safe and sound.

That was Friday.

I had been looking forward to spending the weekend with Stephanie. Between this Brodie thing and my parents staying at my place, I haven't spent much time with her. I miss her. She makes me laugh, I miss sharing about our days, and I miss holding her, cuddling with her on the couch, seeing her all sleepy when I get up in the morning. I have been thinking more and more of perhaps formalizing our relationship into something permanent, marriage or formal cohabitation of some sort. I like it when she is in my house. She makes the place into a home. She makes the house somewhere I want to come home to.

Then I had to live through a weekend of not seeing her. My house had finally cleared out of family members, but the sexy weekend I had planned to spend with Steph was cancelled because of Brodie. I tried not to let it bother me, but it was hard. I kept telling myself that it was important for her to be holed up at Rangeman. With the first weekend I have had off in forever, time hung on my hands. I spent it working anyway, even though I was not booked to work. I was in such a foul mood the rest of the officers were taking a wide berth around me as they walked past.

I missed her so much.

Then came Monday. I was sitting in the good doctor's office, waiting for Brodie to show up, when I heard in my earpiece that Brodie was at Rangeman. I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and took off at a run for my car. I put on the Kojak light, trying to drive the ten minutes over to Rangeman in less than five. I got stuck behind an old lady driving her car very slooooowly and she was ignoring the flashing light in her rearview mirror. I leaned on the horn and finally got her attention. She jerked to the side and I flew past. I was praying to every god that I could think of that Steph was all right.

I could hear what was going on through my earpiece. I could hear her say "I will not have anyone die because of me". My mouth was dry with fear and I told her to stand down. I could hear Ranger ordering her to stand down as well.

"I am five minutes out", I said. "Just wait and I will be there to help." I could hear Ranger say he was three minutes away.

"I can't. He's fucking with my family", Steph said. "I am going in."

"We are close enough. There is no need for you to go in", I said.

"Either stop ordering me around, or I will take out my earbud. You won't hear a thing."

I heard a shot, and it felt like my heart stopped beating. She is my life. My mouth went dry with fear and I pushed my car to go even faster. My heart stuttered to life as I heard her talk to Brodie, trying to talk him down.

"You wanted me. Here I am", she said. "What do you want to do with me?"

"I'll fuck you and then I'll kill you", said Brodie.

I was so terrified I was shaking. I have never been that scared in my whole life. No time when I was in the military, no time as a cop. Never.

"Stop and put your gun down", she said.

"No, you put your gun down or I will shoot", Brodie said.

I heard a shot go off, and the sounds of a vicious fight, Raphael feeding through the information that Steph was fighting with Brodie and she seemed to be winning. I was proud of her, but terrified at the same time. She is my cupcake. Soft and squishy, a good heart, kind, funny, sexy, the kind of person I am thinking more and more of asking her to become my wife, the mother of my children. Enough time to think about that later. Right now I have to concentrate on getting her out of this alive.

I heard a lot of grunting and swearing, then I heard the door bang open and Ranger and Tank run in, and I could hear Ranger say she was safe and ask if she needed an EMT. And I heard him kiss her.

I heard Steph say that Ralph was shot twice in the chest and once in the abdomen, and I heard the wobble in her voice. I wanted to be there so badly, to hold her and reassure myself that she was okay. I came running in to see Ranger doing what I so desperately wanted to do. She was wearing his clothes and he was running his hands up and down her arms. She was visibly shaking.

I could not help myself. Everything came welling up and I yelled. It was either that or cry, and anyone knows a Morelli doesn't cry. I pulled her into a hard hug. "This is why I'm getting an ulcer", I said. "It's you doing stupid things. You just don't think."

"It all ended well though", she said. "And I couldn't let him mess with my family. If I can stop that, then I will do what it takes to stop it. You would do the same thing."

"Rangeman isn't your family. Your real family was in danger because of you. This is you being selfish, always wanting to have it your own way, not willing to take yourself out of danger by getting a new job. And at some point you will have to choose – me and your family, or your job. Because I don't think you can have both. I don't think I can keep living through nightmares like this." I totally lost control. My heart rate still had not returned to normal. I had adrenaline pumping through my veins and I was so upset I was shaking. The panic had not subsided and I felt so out of control I wanted to punch a wall.

"It's what you would have done", she said.

She doesn't understand. I'm a cop. That is what I do. I don't have the ability to switch jobs like Steph does. She is talented. She could do anything and do it well. Me, not so much. "Don't bring me into this. I am a cop. It is my job to protect people." I started to shake harder.

Then Ranger stepped in. The person who had been her rock over the last week when I wanted to be her rock; the person who had protected her when I wanted to protect her. "You may want to step away and do that job before you say something you regret."

"I won't regret this", I answered. "This has been a long time in coming."

"So what are you saying then? We're through?" she asked.

"It's your choice, Cupcake. That's my line in the sand. I can't keep living through this. I want to get married and have a normal life. Not live separately and have an insane life."

"Go do your cop thing", she said. "It's what you do best anyway." She started to walk towards the elevator. "You don't need me. The security cameras caught everything on tape. I hurt. I'm cold. I am going up to have a hot shower."

"Steph, wait!" I called out, but she just ignored me. I looked around the lobby. None of the Rangeman staff would meet my gaze. I sat down on the chair behind the security desk and let the Rangeman staff secure the scene. I bent over double, struggling to breathe. The adrenaline and panic slowly dissipated, leaving behind a numb feeling of emptiness. I called Stephanie's cell number but it went to voicemail. I did not leave a message.

Ranger came over to me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just taking a minute to get my bearings again." I tried to keep the wobble out of my voice.

"Tank is taking Brodie into the station now in case you want to be there when he arrives."

"I would. I just have to make a stop by Steph's apartment on the way back to the precinct." I knew I had to do something to let her know how sorry I was by the argument. It's just that I am thinking long-term and she is taking chances she doesn't have to take. I can't protect her always. I am terrified that sometime I won't be there when she needs me.

I dropped by her apartment and wrote an apology on a piece of paper. I put it on the counter where Rex usually sits. I knew she would get the message as soon as she entered the apartment. I only prayed this apology would be enough.


End file.
